Jack A. Kampmeier

Jack A. Kampmeier, 75, an emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of Rochester, died after a brief illness on March 26 in Rochester, N.Y.

Kampmeier earned an A.B. in chemistry from Amherst College in 1957 and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 1960.

He joined the chemistry department at the University of Rochester and established a program of teaching and research in organic chemistry with an emphasis on organic reaction mechanisms. His research group did seminal work on the structure and stereochemistry of vinyl radicals and the decarbonylation mechanisms of aldehydes and acid chlorides by rhodium.

At the University of Rochester, Kampmeier also served as chair of the chemistry department, dean of graduate studies, and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. He retired in 2005.

A committed teacher, Kampmeier received the University of Rochester’s Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the university’s Goergen Award for Distinguished Achievement & Artistry in Undergraduate Teaching.

Kampmeier became known for his efforts to develop and disseminate the Peer-Led Team Learning workshop model, which actively engages students in their own learning. He was awarded the Chemical Manufacturers Association (now the American Chemistry Council) Catalyst Award in 1999 and the ACS Northeastern Section’s James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry in 2008. Kampmeier was an emeritus member of ACS, joining in 1959.

Kampmeier is survived by his wife of 52 years, Anne; children, Margaret, Scott, and Stephen; and five grandchildren.